Pennsylvania Government and Politics

Understanding Public Policy in the Keystone State

Thomas J. Baldino, Paula A. Duda Holoviak

• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9780271096797
• eBook ISBN:
  9780271098913
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the Keystone State's formal and informal political institutions and players, past and present, and elucidates the place each holds in governing the commonwealth today. Covering a period of more than three hundred years, this volume presents a clear and succinct overview of

• the commonwealth's political history, culture, and geography;

• interactions between office holders, civil servants, special interest groups, and the media;

• policy development and implementation;

• how laws are created, enacted, and enforced;

• hierarchy and interaction among state, county, local, and special district government bodies and officials;

• tax collection and disbursement; and

• the political upheaval in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election.

Featuring practical appendixes and interviews with current and past office holders, bureaucrats, party leaders, and political journalists, this astute and informative book is an indispensable tool for understanding politics in the Keystone State.

Table of contents

• COVER Front
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Pennsylvania History
• Chapter 2: Pennsylvania’s Political Culture and Political Geography
• Chapter 3: Elections, Parties, Interest Groups, and the Media
• Chapter 4: The Legislative Branch: The General Assembly
• Chapter 5: The Governor
• Chapter 6: The Executive Branch
• Chapter 7: The Judicial Branch: Judges, the Law, and Pennsylvania’s Court System
• Chapter 8: Pennsylvania and the Federal System
• Chapter 9: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: State Government Relations with Its Counties, Local Governments, and Special Districts
• Chapter 10: Pennsylvania Politics in the Time of a Pandemicand a Presidential Election
• Index